1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for distributing liquids such as water in desirable showering streams, such as showerheads and faucets.
2. Background of the Related Art
Showerheads are commercially available in numerous designs and configurations. While many showerheads are designed and sold for their decorative styling, there are many different showerhead mechanisms that are intended to improve or change one or more characteristic of the resulting water spray pattern. A particular spray pattern may be described by the characteristics of spray width, spray distribution or trajectory, spray velocity, and the like. Furthermore, the spray pattern may be adapted or designed for various purposes, including a more pleasant feeling to the skin, better performance at rinsing, massaging of muscles, and conservation of water, just to name a few.
The vast majority of showerheads may be categorized as being either stationary or oscillating, and having either fixed or adjustable openings or jets. Stationary showerheads with fixed jets are the simplest of all showerheads, consisting essentially of a water chamber and one or more jets directed to produce a constant pattern. Stationary showerheads with adjustable jets are typically of a similar construction, except that some may allow adjustment of the jet direction, jet opening size and/or the number of jets utilized. For example, a showerhead currently used in typical new residential home construction provides a stationary spray housing having a plurality of spray jets disposed in a circular pattern, wherein the velocity of the spray is adjustable by manually rotating an adjustment ring relative to the spray housing.
One example of a stationary showerhead is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,862 (Heimann et al.). The Heimann showerhead has a body with a single fluid inlet and a plurality of fluid outlets. The fluid outlets are provided in the form of a plurality of flexible tubular extensions positioned in respective perforations of a lower elastomeric wall of the showerhead body. A movable disk or plate is provided to selectively deform or flick the flexible tubular extensions so as to “flake off” lime deposits that may have adhered to, or built up within, the extensions during operation. The movement of the disk is purely a manual operation, and the plate is not adapted to alter the direction, shape, or spray pattern of the water flow.
These stationary showerheads cause water to flow through its apertures and contact essentially the same points on a user's body in a repetitive fashion. Therefore, the user feels a stream of water continuously on the same area and, particularly at high pressures or flow rates, the user may sense that the water is drilling into the body, thus diminishing the effect derived from such a shower head. In order to reduce this undesirable feeling, various attempts have been made to provide oscillating showerheads.
Examples of oscillating spray heads include the showerheads disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,584 (Drew et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,357 (Baisch), U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,385 (Bruno), U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,457 (Brewer), U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,064 (Heitzman), U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,927 (Lee), U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,547 (Golan et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,967 (Schorn). U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,457 (Brewer) discloses an oscillating showerhead that uses an impeller wheel mounted to a gearbox assembly that produces an oscillating movement of the nozzle. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,064 (Heitzman) discloses a showerhead having a rotary valve member driven by a turbine wheel and gear reducer for cycling the flow rate through the housing between high and low flow rates. Both of these showerheads require extremely complex mechanical structures in order to accomplish the desired motion. Consequently, these mechanisms are prone to failure due to wear on various parts and mineral deposits throughout the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,691,584 (Drew et al.) also discloses an oscillating showerhead, but utilizes a nozzle mounted on a stem that rotates and pivots under forces places on it by water entering through radially-disposed slots into a chamber around a stem. Although this showerhead is simpler than those of Brewer and Heitzman, it still includes a large number of piece requiring precise dimensions and numerous connections between pieces. Furthermore, the Drew showerhead relies upon small openings for water passageways and is subject to mineral buildup and plugging with particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,927 (Lee) discloses a showerhead with an apparatus having a plurality of blades designed to produce vibration and pulsation. One blade is provided with an eccentric weight that causes vibration and an opposite blade is provided with a front flange that causes pulsation by momentarily blocking the water jets. Again, the construction of this showerhead is rather complex and its narrow passageways are subject to mineral buildup and plugging with particulates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,547 (Golan et al.) discloses a showerhead including a housing, a turbine and a fluid exit body, such that fluid flowing through the turbine causes rotation of the turbine. The rotating turbine can be used to cause rotation of the fluid exit body and/or a side-to-side rocking motion in a pendulum-like manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,967 (Schorn) discloses a showerhead having a turbine wheel that rotates a plurality of gear disks to induce wobbling of a plurality of nozzle elements. The turbine wheel and gear disks are rotated continuously about their axes while fluid flows through the showerhead, limiting the number of nozzle elements that can be practically employed and further limiting the incorporation of shower-adjustment features.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved apparatus that delivers water in a continually changing manner, such as wobbling, orbiting, rotating, and the like. It would be desirable if the apparatus provided a simple design and construction with minimal restriction to water flow and open conduits for reducing the possibility or extent of plugging. It would be further desirable if the apparatus employed a design that facilitated easy cleaning of the fluid discharge nozzles or jets, in the event that full or partial plugging (e.g., by mineral depositing) did occur. It would be further desirable if the apparatus could be housed within a smaller housing thereby providing a higher degree of design flexibility. Ultimately, it would be desirable to have a spin driver that would operate regardless of the extent to which the spin driver was allowed to tilt.
Most spray heads, whether they are stationary or oscillating, deliver fluids in a predetermined manner. The user is not allowed to effect changes in the fluid delivery characteristics of the spray head, except perhaps increasing or decreasing the fluid flow rate by turning the control valve that communicates fluid to the spray head. One such spray head which allows user adjustments between a vibrating (i.e., massage) mode and a non-vibrating mode is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,927 (Lee). However, spray heads that allow adjustment of other fluid delivery characteristics have not been available. Another such spray head which allows user adjustments concerning the shape of the resulting spray pattern is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,664 (Heitzman, also mentioned above). The Heitzman showerhead employs a control ring for selective rotation of a pair of cam rings, which ultimately produces twisting of bundled pluralities of orifice tubes to affect a desired spray width.
WO 00/10720 discloses a shower head comprising a water supply line, nozzles arranged in a nozzle plate, and nozzle channels extending inside said nozzles. Each nozzle channel produces a jet of water directed toward the user's body. The nozzle for producing an impingement line of the jet of water directed toward the exposed body part is connected to a propulsion device configured as a water motor. The nozzles are arranged such that they can move in relation to the nozzle plate, and the ends of a plurality of nozzles located inside the shower head are displaced in relation to the nozzle plate by the water motor which moves the nozzles together. The nozzles are an integral part of a connection plate and are held together by the connection plate. The connection plate ensures sealing of the nozzle plate against the water chamber. The nozzles of WO 00/10720 are connected and sealed together near the distal end of the nozzles.
Therefore, there is also a need for an improved spray head or showerhead that allows a user to adjust or control the delivery of fluid. Characteristics of the fluid delivery that would be particularly desirable to adjust include the spray width, the spray velocity and spray flow rate. It would be desirable if the spray head were able to deliver water in the desired manner, even at low pressures or flow rates dictated or desirable for water conservation. It would be further desirable if the spray head provided a simple design and construction with minimal restriction to water flow, and enhanced fidelity such that each of a plurality of discharge nozzles or jets could be controlled.
A need further exists for a spray apparatus that facilitates direction control of its spray stream, or shower, without the need for a ball- or swivel-mounted housing. A related need exists for fluid-dispensing tubes (suitable for a spray apparatus) having particular flexing characteristics that may be employed to advantage. A need further exists for such an apparatus that is suitable for mounting within a wall, so as to conserve space, e.g., within an enclosed shower stall.